"Advertise, advertise, advertise your business."

Posters, like the three up top, were important forces in Barnum's advertising, especially when he entered into the circus arena.  He figured out the secret to use of large-scale lithography.  As early as 1872, Barnum was requesting 32- and 64-sheet color posters of 10 ft. tall by 50 ft wide dimensions.  However, by 1879, Barnum wanted the "biggest and best show bill in the world."  Three months of work and $3000 later, there was a GIANT poster covering the entire side of a large building in Newport Rhode Island.  The poster was compiled of seventy 28" by 42" sheets.  Barnum shelled out his money for his advertising.  In 1877, Barnum over $100,000 on advertising and publicity.  By today's standards, that is a minimal amount; however, this figure accounted for about one third of his costs!        Jumbo was an incredibly important attraction to Barnum, second only to Tom Thumb.  Jumbo was an African elephant 11-1/2 feet tall, and over 6-1/2 tons!  Barnum acquired Jumbo from the London Zoological Society  for $10,000.  Barnum saw that Jumbo had huge potential in publicity.  His arrival was in parade form up Broadway to Madison Square Garden.  There was instant buzz about the Greatest Show on Earth's Greatest Star.  Jumbo became an instant poster child for the circus; he even had his own "autobiography" written by the lifetime trainer, Matthew Scott.  Barnum released Jumbo's image for advertising purposes, as can be seen in the ads on the right.  In 1885, four years after arriving to Barnum, Jumbo died in a train accident.  He was hit on the track during transport.  Barnum was saddened, but he used the media to his advantage even in this time of trouble.  He released an astonishing account of Jumbo's heroic effort to save a baby elephant in his last efforts.  An etching was released of the exaggerated event.  Barnum would turn Jumbo's skin and skeleton into two separate attractions.

Barnum always held his advertising and publicity team as his top priority; they were the most respected and cared for individuals on the staff.  A major player on this team was the man pictured on the left: Richard F. Hamilton, a.k.a. Tody.  By 1886, Tody held two very influential positions, press agent and advertising director.  He was an absolute "word wizard:" a master of exaggeration and alliteration.  He once claimed, "to state a fact in ordinary language is to permit doubt concerning the statement."  He created an exciting circus world for readers, before they even entered the tents.  One circus press agent stated that Barnum said he, "owed more of his success to Tody Hamilton than to any other man."

     The picture above is the famous "Advertising Coach."  It would arrive on-site a fortnight before the show's beginning, and feature a complete publicity circus, before the arrival of the other circus.  The outside display featured Barnum (of course) and several animal exhibits painted by a nationally recognized artist, James Walker.  The coach was an attraction itself.  The interior was paneled with black-walnut.  There were two Axminster carpeted offices for the two Chiefs: F.A. Keeler (bill posters) and Charles Gaylor (press agent).  There were several compartments for the other workers, including the 12 member force of poster hangers, a.k.a. The Paste Brigade.  They would hang endless copies of posters, similar to the one below.  Barnum designed a special area for the "tons of immense colored bills, programs, lithographs, photographs, electrotype cuts etc. . . to arouse the whole country for fifty miles around each place of exhibition to . . . P. T. Barnum's New and Greatest Show on Earth."  Unfortunately, in 1877, the Coach wrecked in Iowa.  Seven staff members were killed and five were seriously injured.  Barnum made a personal inspection of the scene to offer his sympathy and perspective.